Intercultural Design / Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media
Edgar Flavio Tanjung / 0378967
TABLE OF CONTENTS
3. Project
5. Reflections
LECTURE
Culture and design are inseparable as culture impacts design, while design is what makes a culture distinct.
Visuals - We live in a visual information culture where visual images are used more than ever, and serve as powerful persuasive mediums to provide information. This is evident in the fact that 40% of people respond more to visuals than text. Not only that, 90% of information transmitted to the brain is visual, and are processed 60,000 times faster in the brain than text.
Visuals are everything that we can see – nature and any human creations. However, they become a part of culture when a meaning/representation is attached to it. For example, the tree on the left is just a tree, while all the other trees have been given a meaning through other design elements.
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| Fig 1.1 Designs With & Without Representation |
Another example of giving meaning to a design can be seen in tattoos. A sailor's tattoos symbolizes the stories of their journey, while Japanese tattoos convey societal status or act as spiritual symbols. Because of this, to create designs that are inclusive and resonate with a diverse audience, designers should be aware of cultural nuances, symbolism, and context before creating their works.
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| Fig 1.2 Sailor & Japanese Tattoos |
Design Significance - By understanding the significance of graphics in its cultural
studies, philosophy, sociology, and origin history, we can
identify a design's social, cultural, and political spheres.
Design System
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| Fig 1.3 Design Analysis |
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| Fig 1.4 Design System |
For example, the ladybug's cultural function is as a symbol of luck. As for its norms and values, its number of dots represents the number of lucky months in western culture, whereas it signifies the number of bad lucks in Japanese culture. In turn, it can be implemented as a lucky charm. Cultural sensitivity in design goes beyond just aesthetics, as it also encompass functionality, usability, and user experience.
Design Sensitivity - Be sensitive towards culture when designing.
- Symbolism and Imagery: Because certain symbols and images may have different meanings in different cultures, we should be mindful to avoid misunderstandings or offense.
- Color Considerations: Understand cultural meanings of colors to make appropriate design choices.
- Typography and Language: Use culturally appropriate fonts and ensure accurate translations to be able to reach diverse audiences.
- Inclusive Design: When designing products and experiences, make them accessible and inclusive for people of all cultural backgrounds, abilities, and needs.
- User Research: Conduct ethnographic studies and user testing is important for designers to understand cultural preferences and behaviors.
- Localization: Adapt designs to specific cultural contexts to enhance its relevance and acceptance.
- Cultural Awareness Training: Train design teams to develop deeper understanding in diverse perspectives and sensitivities.
INSTRUCTIONS
PROJECT
Project 1: Proposal
Week 1 - 2 / Ideation
For the first project of this module, we were tasked to create a proposal presentation for our final project, with the theme "Everyday Design." The main idea of this project is to observe and analyze design elements that are integrated into our daily lives. To start off the project, me and my groupmates had to decide on what project we will be working on based off the following topics:
- Urban Design & Infrastructure
- Product Design
- Retail & Consumer Culture
- Cultural Practices
- Technology Integration
- Fashion & Street Style
- Civic & Cultural Symbolism
We came up with several ideas, some emphasizing its cultural design and aesthetics — such as fans, bowls, playing cards, and customizable TNG cards — and some more focused towards its ergonomic functionality — like chopsticks, straws, even schools.
After some more brainstorming, we decided on making cupholders, with Malaysia's food scene as the cultural subject we want to analyze. We noticed that when eating out in mamaks or hawker centres, the tables are not big enough to place all the food, drinks, and belongings. Because of that, we wanted to solve this issue by making clip-on cupholders. Everyone made their own sketches to visualize their ideas on how it could be designed.
With the lack of space in mind, I could also further develop this product to have attachments such as a bag holder or a general extension to the space. Not only that, with how other products becomes a hassle to bring around, portability also became one of my concerns in my design process.
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| Fig 2.1 First Sketch |
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| Fig 2.2 Second Sketch |
The first sketch mainly focuses on adjustments and portability with how its
parts are retractable. As for the second sketch, I made it as another option
with a simpler design, with clips as a way for it to hold onto the table.
Week 3 / Finalization
After receiving some feedback from Mr. Charles, we decided to change our project, because unbeknownst to us, such cupholders were already sold commercially. So, from solving a problem, we pivoted into a documentation/ showcase of Malaysia's food culture.
To finish our proposal, we divided the workload, and I worked on the
preliminary research of our topic and mainly worked on the design direction
for our presentation.
Final Proposal
Fig 2.3 Proposal
Project 2: Field Study
Week 4 / Preparation
After some discussions, we first decided to do some netnographic research for our data collection and to look for locations we want to visit to display in our videos. We decided have two locations from each topic. Everyone shared their opinions and we narrowed down our choices to the following locations:
- Mamak - Nasi Kandar Shaaz
- Mamak - Nasi Kandar Ali Bistro
- Hawker Centre - Tang City Food Court
- Hawker Centre - Rock Cafe
- Kopitiam - Chan Oi Yee Kopitiam
- Kopitiam - Kafei Dian
- Warung - Blendik & Warung Jaya
- Warung - Taylors' Roadside Warung
Week 5 / Data Collection
Throughout this project, I took the physical documentations since I have a camera. The documentations were a lot shakier than expected after it was imported to my laptop, but it should be easily fixed during editing. In addition, I mainly worked on the design of the presentation.
Final Data Collection
Google Drive Link - Physical Recordings
Week 6 - 7 / Editing & Finalization
We decided to name our TikTok account Sedap Daily — "Sedap" means delicious in Malay, while "Daily" itself circles back into the everyday design theme.
As the final stretch, we divided the work into editing and asset gathering. This time, I mainly worked on the editing. For the edit, there are several aspects I focused on which are title screens, subtitles, and transitions.
For the title screens, I first designed the look of the title on a chosen clip and made the appropriate animations. I simply used the text animation feature in After Effects and altered the positioning, opacity, and speed ramps which I learned here. On the other hand, the subtitles are more straightforward with occasional animations for words we want to emphasize.
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| Fig 2.5 Title Screens |
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| Fig 2.6 Title Animation |
For transitions, I made sure that the movement between each clips are continuous. If a clip moves to the right, the transition also moves to the right. If clip zooms out, the next clip should also zoom out. Although not always applied, it's a good standard to follow. I also applied speed ramps to make the movement more dynamic.
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| Fig 2.7 Transition Speed Ramps |
Final Project
Tiktok Link - Sedap Daily
FEEDBACK
Week 2
Specific Feedback:
- Cup holders are already a thing, what makes our product stand out from the current design?
- What other cultural aspects can be integrated into the design?
Week 3
Specific Feedback:
The retractable design might not work and not be able to hold the weight of the cup. "Do not reinvent the wheel," instead of trying to create something new or improving the design of a product, focus on documenting a certain culture instead.
Week 5
Specific Feedback:
We should emphasize the culture even further, highlighting things
that we might take for granted, under appreciated aspects, cooking process,
the environment, etc.
REFLECTIONS
Throughout the whole process, especially during the data collection week, I took the opportunity to observe both big and small details of the locations we visited. From the recordings I took to conversations I had with the owners and cooks, I was able to witness the culture — the people who worked and eat there, how the food was prepared, the ambient sounds, and its overall environment.
Findings
Overall, I had gained a deeper understanding and appreciation
of Malaysia's food culture. It was really fun exploring the
elements that built this cultural identity. I also gained some
more animation knowledge while working on the videos which felt
rewarding.